The UK Royal Navy's Type 31 frigates are being equipped with the TACTICOS Baseline 2 combat management system. (NAVYPIX/Richard Scott)  The first Type 31 integrated combat system is on course to undergo factory acceptance testing (FAT) in the third quarter (Q3) of 2023, Thales has confirmed.  Speaking to media at Thales UK's facilities in Templecombe, UK, Julie Martin, naval senior account director, said that delivery of the first Type 31 mission system was on schedule.  “The key focus for us right now on the Type 31 is the fully integrated c...

The Kuwait Low Altitude Surveillance System is seen during a visit by Minister of Defence Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah in January 2021. (Kuwait News Agency)  US Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) is carrying out market research to see if there are contractors other than TCOM that can operate the Kuwait Low Altitude Surveillance System (KLASS).  In a request for information released on 13 June MARCORSYSCOM said the KLASS consists of a TCOM 71M tethered aerostat that carries a TPS-63 solid-state radar, as well as associated groun...

A mock-up of the Eurofighter EK, featuring a generic escort jammer pod, was showcased at the ILA Berlin Air Show in 2022. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)  The Luftwaffe has selected the Saab Arexis electronic warfare (EW) suite for its Eurofighter Elektronischer Kampf (EK) requirement, German national media reported on 13 June.  Der Spiegel said the selection will see Saab and national partner Helsing provide the suite for the Luftwaffe's Eurofighter EK electronic attack (EA) escort jammer aircraft by 2030. Integration will be done by Airbus as the o...

USS   Freedom  and USS   Independence  were both decommissioned in 2021.  (US Navy)  As the US Navy (USN) assesses some of the first overall fleet operations – and recreates operational concepts – for its littoral combat ships (LCSs), the service appears to be just as determined to quickly reduce LCS numbers as it was to introduce and augment the LCS force decades ago.  LCSs were initially designed decades ago and built to conduct antisubmarine warfare (ASW), surface warfare (SuW), and mine counter...

The RE-liON Blacksuit immersive virtual training system provides small unit tactical training. (Netherlands MoD)  The Royal Netherlands Army (RNLA) has initiated a four-pronged plan to improve its simulation capability by 2030, focusing particularly on expanding virtual simulation.    Speaking at the 2023 Defence Simulation Education and Training conference (DSET 23) in Bristol, Lieutenant Colonel Marcel Wassenaar, head    of the RNLA Simulation Centre for Land Operations (SIMCEN Land) at Amersfoort, said that in 2020 the RNLA...

Ocius Technologies' Bluebottle USV operates in the waters of Jervis Bay during Exercise ‘Autonomous Warrior 2022' at HMAS Creswell in the Australian Capital Territory. On 9 June the Australian DoD announced that Ocius has completed the delivery of the fifth and final Bluebottle USV to the RAN. (Commonwealth of Australia)  Ocius Technologies has completed the delivery of all Bluebottle unmanned surface vessels (USVs) to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) under a AUD4.9 million (USD3.3 million) contract secured in November 2022.  The Australian De...

BAE Systems will support radars on UK Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers, such as HMS   Dauntless  .  (Derek Fox)  BAE Systems has received a GBP270 million (USD338.71 million) contract to support the radars on Royal Navy (RN) Type 23 and Type 26 frigates, Type 45 destroyers, and the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.  The company will upgrade, maintain, and provide in-service support for the BAE Systems Sampson multifunction radar and Advanced Radar Target Indication Situational Awareness and Navigation (ARTISAN...

A mock-up of the OctoEye360 on display at MADEX 2023. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)  Germany-headquartered Hensoldt has partnered with South Korea's LIG Nex1 to market a line of persistent surveillance systems to the region.  The solutions are marketed under the joint venture company known as LNZ Optronics.    The early products that are marketed to the region include the OctoEye360 observation system for submarines, said a company representative who spoke to   Janes  at the MADEX 2023 exhibition held in Busan.   The OctoEye360 i...

The 4GD stand at DSET 2023 – one of the members of the Alliance team headed by Lockheed Martin UK that is competing for the MoD STP CTTP contract. (Janes/James Rands)  The competition for the Strategic Training Partner (STP) under the British Army's Collective Training Transformation Programme (CTTP) has been delayed, Janes learnt at the 2023 Defence Simulation Education & Training (DSET) exhibition, held in Bristol from June 5 to 8.  Initially, the competition was scheduled to be announced in January 2023, but it was then delayed until April...

The US Marine Corps is focusing on developing better logistics. (Janes/Michael Fabey)  To lay the foundation for revamped US Marine Corps (USMC) expeditionary operations, USMC leadership has underscored the need to properly support dispersed forces with sufficient logistics.  In much the same way, the US Navy (USN) is developing its own somewhat similarly designed distributed lethality concept that also must provide the logistics support for those far-flung, thinly spread forces.    The USN acknowledges the importance of logistics force...

During the live demonstration observed by the NCIA on 9 March, multiple laptop devices were connected to OneWeb's LEO constellation via Kymeta's Hawk u8 user terminal, which was mounted onboard a 4×4 Land Rover Discovery vehicle. (OneWeb)  The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) has disclosed details regarding its most recent evaluation of commercial low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications (satcom).  The event, which was conducted on 9 March at Eutelsat's teleport facility in Rambouillet, France, featured a live demonstra...

A diorama of ship crew operating a VTOL UAV from the flight deck of a corvette on display at IAI's booth in MADEX 2023. The company is developing a new type of radar that can be fitted onboard VTOL UAVs. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)  Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is developing a compact radar that will convert ship-based vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into more capable maritime surveillance platforms.  The matter was revealed by an IAI representative who spoke to Janes at the International Maritime Defense...

The Republic of Korea Air Force already operates four Boeing E-7 Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft. (Boeing)  Increasing North Korean ballistic missile activity has prompted South Korea to proceed with the planned acquisition of additional airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft.  The Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) already operates four Boeing E-7A ‘Peace Eye' AEW&C aircraft, according to Janes data. Seoul acquired these aircraft in 2011–12 as part of an effort to expand its airborne surveillance and early warning infrastructure.  The...

A rendering of the RGS-A being developed for US NIWC Pacific. (Northrop Grumman )  A pair of advanced space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) projects spearheaded by the US Navy (USN) and the US Space Force (USSF) have cleared critical development milestones, paving the way for further development.  The Northrop Grumman-built variant of the navy's Relay Ground Station-Asia (RGS-A) antenna secured preliminary design review (PDR) certification, company officials said in a 1 June statement. The PDR decision will allow se...

Northrop Grumman's Forward Area Air Defense system provides C2 for SHORAD missions and supports C-UAS operations. (Janes/Patrick Allen)  Northrop Grumman has successfully modernised Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania's air-defence capabilities, ensuring interoperability with NATO and US forces.  According to a company announcement on 5 June, Northrop Grumman has successfully fielded its Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAAD C2) system and provided training to the Baltics' armed forces.  In December 2021 the US Army – in support of US...

The Swedish Army plans to have three artillery brigades totalling 72 Archer SPHs in 2030. (Försvarsmakten/Marcus Olsson)    Sweden has been rebuilding artillery from scratch over the last decade, following neglect after the end of the Cold War,   Janes  learnt on the last day of Defence iQ's Future Artillery conference held in Munich from 30 May to 1 June.   Sweden's two artillery brigades with 24 Archer 6×6 self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) each will grow by a third brigade with 24 Archer 8×8 SPHs in 2030. The country has n...

Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell formally handing over the first batch of EU-funded military assistance to Moldova on 31 May. (European Commission)  The Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova has received its first batch of European Union (EU)-funded military equipment as part of the European Peace Facility (EPF), the EU announced on 31 May.  Over a 36-month period, Moldova will receive EUR40 million (USD42.87 million) worth of non-lethal military equipment in the areas pertaining to air surveillance, mobility and tran...

Quantum-Systems Vector UAV has been ordered for a third time by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence. (Quantum-Systems)  Ukraine has ordered 300 additional reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from German-based Quantum-Systems.  An announcement by the company on 31 May stated the order would be the third placed by Ukraine for the Vector electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) UAV since August 2022.    A Quantum-Systems spokesperson confirmed to   Janes  the order was funded by the German government.   Overall...

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches Starlink at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on 23 May 2019. Following an agreement with the US DoD, the services will continue to support Ukraine for the foreseeable future. (US Air Force)  The US Department of Defense (DoD) has contracted SpaceX to provide its Starlink satellite communication (satcom) services to Ukraine.  An announcement by the DoD on 1 June stated it had contracted Starlink to provide satcom services to Ukraine as it “constitutes a vital layer in Ukraine's overall communications...

The Indian Army is upgrading its 9K111-1M Konkurs-M ATGW systems – pictured above in operation with the Russian Army – with thermal imagers for use in low-light or night operations. (KBP Instrument Design Bureau)    The Indian Army has upgraded its 9K111‐1M Konkurs‐M anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) systems with Bangalore-based Tonbo Imaging's cooled, longwave Infrared (LWIR) thermal imagers known as Sarisa, a source at Tonbo told   Janes.  According to Tonbo, Sarisa is a thermal imaging camera used for detection, recognition, and id...